If Michael Bunting ever arrives at the rink a bit bleary eyed over the coming months, he’ll have a precious excuse.
A new father as of last week, Bunting and his wife, Jordan, welcomed a baby boy - Bo Bunting - to the family, the perfect addition with the start of a new hockey season just ahead.
But if he’s been a tad groggy over the last few days, the feeling hasn’t lasted long - thanks in part to the trio he’s been a part of since the start of Predators Training Camp last month.
Bunting, along with fellow winger Jonathan Marchessault on the left side, and Erik Haula in the middle, make up a line that’s got speed, skill and - perhaps most notably - the gift of gab.
“I think they wanted to put together the loudest line possible on this team,” Bunting grinned when asked about his linemates last week. “And we've definitely not disappointed.”
Through the preseason, and even day-to-day at practice, it’s not difficult to notice when the three are on the ice together. Whether they’re chirping the opposition - or their teammates - the veteran NHLers know what’s expected of them, and how to use their abilities to their advantage.
“I think that's all part of our games,” Bunting said. “Every single one of us [has] that little pest in us and kind of play on that edge. I think if you play on that edge in a smart way, in the right way, it's very effective. So, we’ve got to toe that line and use that to our advantage as a line together. I think we'll find a lot of success this year if we continue playing together.”
“I mean, they're kind of junkyard dogs,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette laughed when describing the trio. “I don't think they shut up very often over the course of a game, but they've really driven our identity as a group through camp, even from the first day. They’ve been drivers, and they've had some pretty good chemistry. We’ll see [on Opening Night] if we continue to do that.”
Marchessault, a Conn Smythe Trophy winner with Vegas as Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP in 2023, arrived in Nashville last season as a free agent. Haula, an experienced centerman who was dealt to the Preds from New Jersey last summer, is back for his second stint in Tennessee.
And then there’s Bunting, who skated in 18 games with the Preds in the spring of 2025 after being acquired from Pittsburgh. By that point of the campaign, Nashville was all but out of the playoff picture, and Bunting was still getting accustomed to his surroundings.
Now, as he prepares to enter his first full season with the Predators, the 30-year old Bunting is more than ready to play a productive role by putting the puck in the net - and annoying the opposition in the process.
“Last year, I feel like it was a blink of an eye, and we were already headed home [at the end of the season],” Bunting said. “I was here for a month, if that, so I was just kind of just learning the system, getting to know the guys and just getting comfortable. Coming in - I’ve said it before - the guys have been great to me since day one, and coming over this year, I'm more comfortable. I feel like I'm part of the team. It's not like I didn't feel part of the team last year, but it's just obviously, really fresh. And now, I feel great and ready to get this thing going."
Bunting, who first made a name for himself with a 23-goal and 63-point season with Toronto during the 2021-22 season, certainly has a knack for going to those so-called greasy areas in front of the net where others are less willing to venture.
Now set to enter his fifth full NHL campaign, Bunting knows what makes him effective, and he’s excited about the potential to realize that role once more in Nashville.
“I feel good, and they're playing me right where I'm used to - playing on power play, the offensive side of the game, and just kind of creating energy,” Bunting said. “That's what I try to do, day in, day out, and just be a reliable player that, when the game's tight, my name is getting called. I want to continue that and continue to help this team win and turn this thing around.”
Bunting also believes in the potential of his line and what they can contribute at both ends of the ice, whether they’re putting the puck in the net or frustrating the opposition.
“Day one, we kind of clicked and they've been rolling it since,” Bunting said of his line. “We like playing with one another. We know we all have a skillset of offense and think the game really well, but also, I feel like we play with a high energy and an in your face kind of game. So, that's what we want to do, and I feel like we can be very effective if we're playing that way.”
Regardless of who Bunting is skating alongside, he, like the rest of his teammates, has something to prove this time around. And even though he was only in town for a portion of the previous season, that was more than enough time to realize he doesn’t want any part of that feeling again.
Perhaps that new dad energy will help do the trick.
“I think we're all playing with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” Bunting said. “Obviously, last year didn't go the way we wanted, but I think we're turning the page. I don't think we're going to bring up last year anymore. We're ready to get this thing going… We’ve had a great camp. Guys have worked really hard. I don't know if you guys have been watching these practices, but guys are really working and putting the effort in. So, you see that and that excites you. I think we're all really ready to get this thing going.”
